Twenty-three-year-old Liz Valentina is making a name for herself in Cape Town’s fashion scene. Born and bred in Hamburg in the North of Germany, the recent Fedisa graduate moved to Cape Town five years ago for the sunshine and her studies.

“Hamburg was way too grey and organised for me,” she shares.

Her graduate collection is a conglomeration of vibrant colour, print and extravagant style. “Similar to my personality,” she says. “It ishappy and not afraid to stand out.” Waves of ruffles ripple across her garments, which were inspired by the ocean and her obsession with rainbows. “I wanted everything to look like it is always in movement through using lots of frills. The print I designed are lots of colourful sushi characters with different emotions. The wasabi character for example is sad cause he is so spicy.”

The collection is also an extension of Liz’s outlook on life. “I think there are way too many rules in fashion.People should wear what they want and feel confident in. It’s the first impression we get and the biggest tool to project our personality. Fashion is personality.”

The lookbook was lensed by Cape Town-based photographer Luke Houba. The pair chose to frame the collection in an unfussy way so that the clothing could speak for itself. With the encouragement of friends in fashion, Crystal Birch and Annes Peterson of Young and Lazy, Valentina plans to establish her label in Cape Town.